Return of Naruto: The Rewrite
by MangaFreak15
Summary: AU: Unwilling to put up with the village's scorn any longer, Naruto runs away. Ten years later, he returns to Konoha, but he isn't as carefree or merciful as he used to be. Beware, Konoha, of the demon's wrath. Features intelligent/calm/sarcastic!Naruto. Rated M for language. Naruto leaves after the Chuunin exams.
1. Prologue

**RETURN OF NARUTO**

**Rated M for violence and language.**

**Features intelligent/calm/sarcastic! Naruto**

* * *

Unwilling to put up with the scorn he receives from the village, Naruto runs away. Ten years later, he returns… but he isn't as carefree or merciful as he used to be. Beware, Konoha, of the demon's wrath. Post-Chuunin exams, Pre-Tsunade Search.

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

Boot-clad feet tromped heavily down a distantly familiar path, the owner whistling a jaunty tune as he sauntered along. In his right hand he tossed a gleaming four-bladed star up into the air, catching it between his fingers as it came back down. The sunlight warmed him from behind, its rays falling upon the disarrayed golden-blond spikes covering his head. Narrow electric-blue eyes sought out the sight of the tall, green village gates looming ahead.

Ten years. He had been away from the village of his birth for ten whole years. It was strange to think that so much time had passed so quickly. He had had to put up with the villagers' derision, scorn, and cruel words ever since he was young, all because of the monstrosity that resided in a seal on his stomach. Idiots. The last he checked, he did not bare the slightest resemblance to that stupid fox.

Let's compare, shall we?

First of all, he was quite sure he was a human, even if he took on some of the fox's characteristics when he went ballistic. The fox was a mega-conglomeration of evil energy in a physical form.

Secondly, his eyes were _blue_. The fox's eyes were blood-red.

Thirdly, he was only five foot ten. The fox must be close to five stories high.

Fourthly, he had thin human skin that was easily sliced open. The fox was cloaked in a layer of thick, red, spiky fur that was probably hard to the touch.

Fifthly, he had hands and feet, with _blunt_ nails. The fox had gigantic furry paws with razor-sharp claws that could slice and dice someone before they realized it.

Lastly, he had a very nice set of buttocks with no fur, tail, or tails whatsoever. The fox had nine tails and… well, he wasn't quite sure if demon foxes needed to poop or not, but he'll go with the assumption that the fox probably had a hole right there, and it was probably uncovered.

He was so deep into his musings that he didn't realize the Konoha gates were several meters away until he looked up. He could see clearly into the village, with all its hustle and bustle. He snorted. Looks like they definitely didn't miss his presence. What a bunch of jerks.

He moved to step inside the village, but paused when a sharp voice called out, "Halt!"

He turned to the left, fixing a cool expression on his face. A man wearing the typical forest-green Chuunin vest approached him, a brown clipboard and black pen in his hands.

"State your name and business," said the man, tilting his dark brown eyes down to the clipboard as he awaited an answer. Apparently he had been assigned to this post long enough for the habit to become ingrained into him, otherwise the blond man might not have escaped his notice as easily.

He let out a low, humorless chuckle that had the gate guard looking up sharply. "I can't believe Konoha has fallen so low, to allow its guards to become so lackadaisical in their duties," he murmured, loud enough for the other man to hear. His bright-blue eyes locked onto the gate guard, a distinctly semi-feral grin gracing his face. "Now, I don't know your name personally, but you can tell those old sour-faced prunes on the ninja council that _Uzumaki Naruto_ has returned, and wishes to have a word with them."

He watched in amusement as the gate guard nearly dropped his clipboard at the mention of his name. Was he so infamous in the village that every citizen knew his name? The name of the demon that used to reside within the village, that had up and run away in the dead of the night because he couldn't handle the scorn and derision anymore? He was different now. He was back, possibly for good, and he was ready to get his revenge on those that had been so determined to wrong him.

Starting with, of course, the village's elders. Tradition was all well and good, but what good did it do if the people adhering to it were still thinking in terms of tactics from thirty years ago, or more? The council needed some fresh blood, and it was about time they got some.

Assuming that the kids he knew from his childhood and his days as both an academy cadet and a genin should have grown up and matured in the last ten years, he decided that he would need to do a little bit of digging with a dollop of charm and persuasion to go along with it. But that could come later - right now he had a few old farts to deal with, and he sure as hell wasn't going to make them think they still had some measure of control over him.

He cleared his throat impatiently when the man continued to gape at him like he was some kind of rare exotic animal on display, and it was starting to get on his nerves. The guard snapped out of his shock at the sound. He bravely tried to put on a confident front, but failed quite miserably.

"Well? I don't have all day," said Naruto, brushing a few stray strands of golden-blond hair out of his face. "Are you going to take me to the Hokage?"

"N-no," said the Chuunin, backing up a few steps. The fear was clearly visible on his face, and behind him his gate-guarding partner stood up in alarm. "D-d-demon! Go away, go back to where you came from. And d-don't bother us!"

"Fine, I'll just go there myself," said Naruto impassively, turning to walk past the shaking guard. Just before he passed him, he turned and leaned down to hiss menacingly in the man's ear, "You are afraid of me, and call me a demon, but do you even know what the fox looks like? Because I don't look a _damn thing_ like it." Then he continued on his way to the Hokage tower without looking behind him, but if he did, he would have seen the Chuunin collapse in a dead faint. And as his frantic partner rushed over to tend to him, the shadowy leaves began to gather in order to apprehend the unwelcomed intruder.

Not too far away, the captain of the Anbu opened his coal-black eyes, and smirked darkly.

* * *

**Okay. Guess what this is. Another story? …nope. It's a rewrite, actually. A rewrite of my oldest story, which dates back to 2006. I looked at it, and by **_**Merlin**_** it sucked monkey balls - please forgive my crudeness. So, true to my nature, I started rewriting this as a project of sorts. For me, school doesn't start until practically the end of September, so I've got loads of time to do this (and hopefully cook up some inspiration for my Hikaru no Go story).**

**For those who are too lazy to go and look up the older version of this story: I suggest you don't. Really. It's a piece of bloody, gory, crazy crap that I spewed out of my morbid twelve-year old brain. Fast forward almost six years later, and this is the result of my eighteen-year old brain. Not the best work I've ever done, but I can truly and honestly say that I am longer a fan of the Naruto series, so…whatever.**

**Review please.**

**Oh, and this is totally off-topic, but I recently made an account on Pottermore (since July 31****st****, Harry and JKR's birthdays!). Judging by my sarcasm and crude writing, would you believe me if I told you I got sorted into Ravenclaw?**

**Ciao.**

**MangaFreak15**


	2. Chapter 1: Above and Beyond

**RETURN OF NARUTO**

**Rated M for violence and language.**

**Features intelligent/calm/sarcastic! Naruto **

* * *

Unwilling to put up with the scorn he receives from the village, Naruto runs away. Ten years later, he returns… but he isn't as carefree or merciful as he used to be. Beware, Konoha, of the demon's wrath. Post-Chuunin exams, Pre-Tsunade Search.

* * *

**Chapter One - Above and Beyond**

* * *

Now this was just plain unfair.

Naruto sighed, rubbing absently at the back of his neck. All he wanted was to go to the Hokage tower in peace, so he could talk to the Hokage and the ninja council about a few things regarding his stay in the village. Instead, just a couple minutes after he left the gates and headed in the tower's direction, he was surrounded by Anbu and had a sharp, thin silver blade pointed at his throat. Okay, maybe the security wasn't so lax after all. He got the point, so he would really like it if that stupid sword was pointed somewhere other than his neck.

"Look, I just want to have a conversation with your Hokage and the council," he told the silent shinobi. "If you think I'm such a threat to the village, you can escort me there yourselves. Deal?"

"You are an intruder in the village, Uzumaki," said a tall man wearing a raven mask. He was probably the captain. "We have every right to apprehend you for illegal entry."

Naruto stared incredulously at the man. "The guy at the gate told me to state my name and business, and I did. It's not my fault that he gaped at me like a fish out of water and tried not to grant me entrance. How is that illegal entry?" he asked.

"You ran away from this village ten years ago, and you were classified as an S-class missing nin," replied the man. "Yet, here you are, walking in through the gates like any normal traveler. What is your real reason for coming back?"

"That, my dear Anbu captain, is classified information only for the ears of the Hokage," drawled Naruto. "Now please step aside so I can resume walking in peace, or, if it is preferable to you, we can all go together."

"Arrest him," ordered the man.

"Oh come on," groaned Naruto. "You guys are some stiff-minded shits, you know that?"

He easily sidestepped a swift move with a kunai made by one of the Anbu on his right. Then, as if that was the universal signal to attack, all the Anbu bar the captain struck out at him simultaneously, but not chaotically. They were well-organized in their timed assault, and if he was any less of a shinobi he might be out cold out the moment. But, if you ever asked anyone and their brothers who knew him, not one of them could ever say that he was anything less than extraordinary. So he ducked under their blades, and tripped them with a fast, circular sweep of his leg that sent out a disrupting pulse of chakra. A few of them were skilled enough to jump over the wave, but the unlucky ones (the majority of them) went down _hard_.

Naruto stood back up again, looking for all the world as though he hadn't just bested more than half of a squadron of Konoha's elite ninja forces with a single move. The Anbu that remained standing now had an apprehensive air about them, and appeared wary about approaching him now that he had demonstrated that short distance combat tactics didn't work.

"So, can I leave now?" asked Naruto, determinately leveling a stare at the silent Anbu captain. "Your minions don't seem capable of getting up anytime soon." He dropped a scrutinizing gaze at the groaning bodies lying on the ground around him. They'd be incapacitated for a good three hours at least - while the pulse wasn't particularly harmful, it did disrupt the recipient's chakra and nerve systems (just a tad, no harm done!).

The Anbu captain stared at him with his head slightly tilted to the side. Naruto could imagine the gears turning in his head. Okay, he got that apprehending intruders was part of the job, but if standing around dumbly and looking at the intruder like he was the biggest mystery on the planet was part of Anbu protocol, then he almost considered appealing to the Hokage so he could create new rules and guidelines for the elite units, because this was ridiculous. He let the captain know by crossing his arms and impatiently tapping on the ground with his right foot.

Finally, the captain said, "Follow me." Addressing the Anbu that were still standing, he gestured for them to take their fellow comrades back to wherever and heal them so they could continue with their duties.

Naruto walked casually behind the man, who was striding briskly towards the tower. This guy was too stiff for his own good - but there was something about him that was vaguely familiar. It was probably someone he had known from his earlier days in Konoha, though he would have to see his face before he could come to a solid conclusion. It was most likely Sasuke, but he didn't know for sure (he'd been called 'Uzumaki', and not one of those demeaning nicknames Sasuke used to call him, so…).

"We'll get there faster by roof," the captain's voice cut into his thoughts, and Naruto watched as he leaped onto one of the nearby roofs with ease. He paused and waited for the blonde to follow him. Naruto shrugged. He bent his knees lightly, then sprung up with all the grace of a feline, making a perfectly balance landing next to the captain.

The captain took off without a second glance. Naruto grumbled mentally about stiff pricks and their need to get to their destinations at the speed of light, but ran after him, keeping up a steady pace. They arrived at the tower not too long later. Nostalgic feelings welled up inside him at the sight of its familiar doors, but he firmly pushed them to the side. He was here on serious business, now was not a time for fond memories.

"Hokage-sama," said the Anbu captain stoically as he knocked on the door. "You have a visitor named Uzumaki Naruto here to see you."

A loud crash inside the office had the Anbu captain nearly busting the door off its hinges with the force with which he opened it. But when Naruto glanced inside, he saw that the Hokage wasn't alone. Before he could get a good look at the other person, the Anbu captain grabbed his arm and pulled him into the office, which he gave an indignant cry of protest to, "Hey!"

He ripped his arm away from the dark-haired man, the smile gone from his lips. "Do you make a habit of simply yanking people around when you feel like it?" he asked, lightly rubbing at his arm where the Anbu captain had gripped him. "Tch. No manners at all."

He heard her before he saw her, _"Naruto?"_

He turned around, a neutral expression falling over his face like a veil when some of his bad memories surfaced from where they had been long buried. She had grown up beautifully, as he had expected, but his feelings from childhood had diminished over time into nothing. She had been mean to him, and never appreciated who he was. Like any other fangirl, she had followed Sasuke around like a lovesick puppy dog on a leash, and recalling her old behavior now sickened him. Judging by her shocked expression, she didn't seem to expect that he would ever come back to this village either, but there was something else in her eyes, vaguely. He averted his gaze. He didn't want to acknowledge that what he saw may have been guilt.

"Sakura," he murmured tonelessly. "You look well."

He saw her move towards him out of the corner of his eye, and tensed up involuntarily because he thought she was going to hit him (just like the old days). She paused uncertainly when she was about a foot away, biting lightly at her lip. He kept up his guard; she could be acting, and he had spent far too much time in various life-or-death situations to even think about relaxing around a potential enemy. He eyed her from beneath his slightly long blond bangs.

He had a very hard time crushing his reflexes under his metaphorical heel when she let out a sob and flung herself onto him, squeezing him tightly in a hug. "My _God_, I'm so sorry, Naruto! I'm sorry about how I - we - treated you ten years ago," she cried. "You didn't deserve it at all."

Naruto stood in his stiff pose even as she continued to sob into his black jacket. This was… awkward. Very awkward. Oh dear. Now how did one get out of a mess like this? He couldn't just let her blubber all over one of his favorite jackets like an uncontrollable waterfall. His large, battle-roughened hands came up and settled on her shoulders. Then, gently, he pushed her back until she was standing in front of him instead of crying into his jacket. She wiped her eyes quickly, but they still looked red when she looked back up.

"Remember the twenty-fifth rule of the shinobi, Sakura," said Naruto. "I'm sure you can manage it." He let go of her and stepped backwards to put a bit of distance between them, and he didn't fail to notice the hurt look that flashed briefly across her face. He looked away from her, alighting his gaze upon the Hokage.

The current Hokage was a buxom blond woman with calculating hazel-brown eyes that watched him carefully. She rested her chin atop her hands, a shrewd look on her face. This woman was no slouch, he knew that - Konoha's Hokage was none other than Senju Tsunade of the legendary Sannin trio, known both for her inhuman strength and her abysmal luck at gambling. He tipped his head to her respectfully in acknowledgment of her position. She merely raised an eyebrow back at him.

"Your name is Uzumaki Naruto?" she asked unnecessarily. "Ten years ago you ran away from this village and got tagged with an S-class missing nin status. Why have you returned? Give me a good reason why I shouldn't simply order for your arrest."

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I'm afraid I can't release that information unless we are alone," replied Naruto, pointedly looking at Sakura and the Anbu captain (it _had _to be Sasuke, his gut feelings were never wrong). "And about the arrest - I have already been assaulted by a squad of Anbu for supposedly intruding in the village. I took care of them with minimal injury. Your Anbu captain should be able to provide you with the details."

"Very well," said the Hokage. "Sakura, Raven, leave the room." The Anbu captain's exit was swift and silent. Sakura cast a backward glance once, an unreadable expression crossing her face, before she shook her head, and left. Naruto made sure to put up a privacy barrier around the office once the door shut with an audible click, in order to prevent unwanted listeners.

The Hokage unlaced her hands and sat up straight in her chair, donning a serious countenance. "I have a theory as for why you are here, Uzumaki," she said, "but, I would like to hear your reasons from your own mouth first."

Naruto nodded solemnly. "I'm sure you already know about the organization known as the 'Akatsuki', as they have collected nearly all of the Bijuu except for the Kyuubi," he said. _Me,_ he implied. "Now, for the past several years I have been lucky enough, and skilled enough, to successfully evade them. But they are getting stronger, and even with the fox in my gut I don't think I'll be able to hold them off on my own any longer. I'm going to need help." He took a deep breath, "There's also another pressing issue that has caught my attention: Orochimaru -"

The Hokage's eyes narrowed at him. "Orochimaru was dealt with a few years ago," she said curtly.

"Really? I could have sworn I ran into him not even three weeks ago," replied Naruto casually. "Not the leader of Oto anymore, it seems. I believe he said something about founding an organization - and furthermore, it is an organization that is dedicated to scientific and human experimentation."

"_What?"_

The Hokage stood up so fast, her hands slapping down forcefully onto the desk, that Naruto could have sworn that a time lapse occurred just then. He took a slight step backward.

"Tell me about this organization, Uzumaki," growled the Hokage. "That _bastard_… how did he escape? I saw his capture and execution with my own eyes!"

"It must have been a Blood Clone," offered Naruto quietly. "They're just like the original."

The Hokage sat down heavily in her chair and sighed. "I can't believe it. Tricked by a Blood Clone, of all things, even though we checked him over and over to make sure he was the real thing," she said. "So, Uzumaki? Where is he now?"

Naruto gave her the barest of smiles, and told her in the most innocent, yet confident tone he could muster, "I don't know."

"You don't know," repeated the Hokage flatly. "In that case, give me all the information you have on his new organization."

"Not so fast, my dear Hokage," said Naruto teasingly, waving a finger back and forth. "If I am going to give you this highly-classified information to aid you in your pursuit of Orochimaru, then I am going to require compensation. I wish to settle down in this village with a house for myself, and I will ask to be reinstated back into the Konoha ninja forces. I will also want a pardon - being slapped with an S-class missing nin rank when you're only a twelve year old is quite an alarming thing to discover. Good thing luck is on my side, hm?"

The Hokage was smart enough to catch the darker undertones behind his last set of words: _Good thing I'm still alive and well enough to agree to be one of the greatest fucking weapons you'll ever have in the entirety of your village's existence._ She refrained from snorting in an unladylike fashion.

"I'm afraid I can't let you in as an active member of the forces until you prove yourself trustworthy to both myself and the council," said the Hokage firmly. "Therefore, I will arrange a meeting that will take place tomorrow morning. You will be expected to show up at the assigned time, which I will send a notice for later. After the meeting, should you succeed in proving your trustworthiness, I will need an assessment of your current skills in order to establish which rank you will be placed in. If you have any objections to the procedures, speak now."

Naruto inclined his head and spoke softly, "None. I consent to participate in whatever tasks will be set to me in order to be reinstated as an active member of the shinobi forces." He paused for a moment, meeting the Hokage's hazel eyes with a hard look. "However, there is one thing I must stress: please remind those who know about my little problem that if I am ever subjected to torment or abuse, both verbal and physical, then I will leave Konoha behind and never return. I may even become its enemy."

The Hokage nodded solemnly. "Not everyone is going to be able to refrain, Uzumaki," she said. "Just be aware that although I am the Hokage, I cannot sway the opinions of every person living in this village."

"No, I suppose not," agreed Naruto, a little reluctantly. "At least, not the ones who are completely deadest in their ways. Do my former classmates and fellow shinobi know of the problem?"

"Yes, unfortunately," growled the Hokage. "Despite the law of taboo put into place by my predecessor, the Sandaime Hokage, news of your abandonment of the village inspired many villagers and shinobi alike to hold parties to celebrate your leaving. You can imagine how sickeningly loose some of those tongues can get under the influence of alcohol."

"That _is_ an unfortunate way to hear about it," said Naruto. "Not all of them accepted it, I suppose?"

"In the beginning they were understandably shocked, of course," said Tsunade, swiveling in her chair to face the grand windows offering a spectacular view of the village. "But you know, most - if not all - of them have already come to accept the fact that you are special, and that problem you have is both a blessing and a curse."

"From the way Sakura reacted to my return earlier, I wouldn't be surprised if she was one of the first ones," Naruto muttered dryly. "Now Sasuke, on the other hand - I have the strangest feeling, my dear Hokage, that he is none other than Konoha's esteemed Anbu captain: Raven. Am I correct?"

"That is classified information, Uzumaki, so unless he chooses to tell you himself, I can only leave you with your assumptions," said the Hokage, swiveling back around to lock eyes with him.

"Damn."

"If that is all, I daresay our little meeting has come to an end," said the Hokage, crossing her fingers and leaning her chin on them again. "Be prepared to receive a message sometime later this afternoon, or perhaps evening. Until then, Uzumaki. You may leave."

* * *

**Hmm, well, I didn't have any particular intentions of making super long chapters (that's not my usual style, anyways). So this one, clocking in at around 3000 words (including author's note) is decent, I think.**

**Now, I do have some worries about how this rewritten version is supposed to turn out (it almost feels like I'm writing a different story altogether), but I will remind everyone now that this version WILL DIVERGE from the original. Yes, it will have bloody stuff and violence that you guys love, but Naruto is NOT an enemy of Konoha. He will not be siding with Akatsuki any time soon, either. And since I am completely out of the loop on what the hell's going on in the current chapters, this is not going to be like canon at all - I mean, this takes place ten years after Naruto runs away, and that's already a divergence from the manga.**

**So! Please leave a review for this chapter. I would love to hear from you guys on what you think so far. Is it too fast? A huge improvement over the crappy 2006 version? Does it still suck? Yeah, that stuff, but please don't flame me. Constructive criticism I can work with. **

**Goodbye for now.**

**MangaFreak15**


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